


Something's wrong

by Paourldn



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Gen, M/M, Sam Ships It
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-12-15
Updated: 2017-01-16
Packaged: 2018-09-08 19:43:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 6,088
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8858299
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Paourldn/pseuds/Paourldn
Summary: Something's wrong, Dean knows it, and he's right. Cas isn't his usual self and they will find out why if it's the last thing they do.





	1. He's back

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys, so this is the first Fanfic I've posted, like ever, I was too scared to post it. There are a few other chapters if it turns out that you like it. Please leave comments, it'll make my day! And i'm from France so if you see spelling mistakes and stuff just tell me please :-)  
> I'll add tags as I go along, cause I have no idea how to do it so same thing, if you have a tag in mind that I should add, tell me !  
> We are on season 11, when Lucifer was in Cas' vessel but there is no darkness. Thanks so much !

He knew something was wrong, he wasn’t quite sure what yet but something was up and he was going to find out what.

Dean had been staring at the ceiling of his bedroom in the bunker all night. He looked at his phone, 9:30AM, Sam would be up by now so he decided to get up. They came back from a hunt just a couple of days ago, so his brother was probably already doing some research for a new case,Dean would’ve thought ~ _the nerd~_ if he hadn’t been so preoccupied. He rolled out of bed and headed to the library, but stopping by the kitchen. He was going to get a cup of coffee but with everything that’d been going on, he opted for the bottle of bourbon instead. He entered the library his glass in one hand and the bottle in the other and sat across his brother.  
“Seriously ? You do know it’s only 10 right?” Sam said with a massive bitch face on, #16 to be exact (one of the worse for Dean)  
“Morning to you too sunshine…” said the older hunter, taking a swig of his already half empty glass.  
“What’s going on?”  
“Something’s wrong…”  
“Yeah, thanks, I kind of got that already, care to develop ?”  
“It’s Cas… He… I don’t know man, he isn’t …” Dean’s voice trailed of as he tried to think of the right words to use  
“What about him? Is he in trouble or something? Have you seen him since the last hunt ?”  
“Yeah, I don’t know, he just isn't … He isn't Cas anymore”  
“What do you mean he isn’t Cas anymore ?” Asked Sam confused  
“ I don’t know how to explain it, I just know it. I… I looked at him and I knew something was off. It’s his vessel but Cas isn’t in it anymore”  
“It’s a pretty big assumption based on a look Dean, he seemed more than fine when I saw him”  
“No, you don’t understand… Just trust me on this Sam, something ‘s not right and we have to fix it!” Dean was almost pleading. Sam knew better than argue with his brother’s instincts, even more so if it was about Cas, profound bound and all.  
“I do trust you Dean, you know that, but I mean, say you’re right, whatever took Cas’ meat suit isn't going to just tell us, we still need proof”  
“Yeah, I know …” Dean sated pilling up the books they had on angels and vessels and said “I’ll get started on this pile, maybe you can go look in the storage room if they have anything else, like maybe a spell I don’t know”. He sat down and started on a book.

* * *

 

The next day, having found pretty much NOTHING, they went ahead with the usual plan, summon, trap and ask questions menacingly. They prepared everything and called the angel. A flutter of wings later and he was standing in front of them. He looked down at the mark on the floor.  
“Dean, what is going on ?” He asked, tilting his head in confusion.  
Dean threw a match and the ring of holy oil caught fire. “I don’t know Cas, you tell me” said Dean   
“I don’t understand, why are you trapping me?”  
“Who are you ?”  
“Dean, it’s me, Castiel”  
“No you’re not, now I’ll ask this nicely one last time. Who, or what are you?” Dean said, barely holding his temper, his brother grabbed his shoulder, looking at him knowingly.  
The angel smirked and that was it, there was no way this could be Cas, his expression completely changed, his face was familiar but it wasn’t the same person, blue eyes met green and Dean knew “what the fuck have you done with Cas?!”  
“Well well well… It didn’t take you long to figure it out huh? Unsurprisingly… What gave me away?”   
“Who. The. Hell. Are. You.?” Asked Dean through clenched teeth.  
“ oh come on guys, you don’t recognize me? Well, it doesn’t surprise me from Dean but you Sammy? We had such a good time together, I’m really offended…”  
“Lucifer…” whispered Sam  
The brothers locked eyes and sent their usual “what the fuck are we gonna do?” Look.  
“Aaah, I knew you would guess first, Sammy always was the smartest after all, Did you miss me? “  
“ yeah right, we’re even planning a welcome back party” said Dean sarcastically   
Sam and Dean chained the Angel in the donjon and went back to the library, the devil still smirking as if he knew something they didn’t ~ _yeah, keep smirking you son of a bitch, I’ll end you if it’s the last thing I ever do. Nobody touches my angel… Wait what?… I meant Cas who turns out to be A angel… Shut up brain~_.

“What are we gonna do ? How do you exorcise a fucking archangel ?” Dean felt a lump in his throat.  
“ We are getting Cas back and sending that dick back to hell, no matter what it takes” Said Sam.  
“I think we both know who we should call…” sighed Dean  
“Yeah, as much as I hate it, I think we don’t have a choice”  
Dean pulled out his phone and dialed the number he dialed too many times before…  
“- Squirrel ! To what do I owe the pleasure ?  
\- Crowley, we need to talk to you, it’s important  
\- Oh is it now?  
\- Crowley, don’t make me summon you, get your ass down here! Now!”  
The next second there was a knock on the door of the bunker, they opened and there stood the king of hell, looking annoyed

“Hello boys, I know you miss me but jeez, get a grip.”  
“listen, It's about Cas …”  
“Boyfriend troubles, seriously? If I was looking for drama I would watch Dawson's Creek”  
“Not in the mood for your fucking jokes, he’s possessed by Lucifer” yelled Dean  
“I know”  
“You know?! What do you mean you know?! And you couldn’t be bothered to tell us ?!” Screamed Sam   
There was a moment of silence  
“You’re … Scared?” Said Dean unbelievingly,   
“Let’s just say he’s quite… powerful…”  
“Yeah right, well, I guess you want him out of the picture as much as we do then don’t you ?”  
“It would be good for the business indeed”  
“You gonna help us?”  
“I find you the cure and the ingredients and you take care of it, does that work for you ? “  
“What’s the catch ?” Asked Sam, knowing the demon all too well  
“There is no catch, not this time, I need him back in his box.”  
“Ok then, get back here when you have everything”  
And he disappeared…

 


	2. Not as easy as it seemed

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The situation turns out to be more complicated than they thought

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys, sorry, I know my chapters are not very long but I'll try updating them often enough. Thanks to the people who left kudos, you guys are awesome! Again, if you have a comment I'd be thrilled to hear it (well see it haha), I hope you enjoy!  
> Kudos for you ❤️

Turns out, freeing Cas was harder then expected. First of all, the spell was a bitch  
“10 days ? The spell takes 10 days!?” Said Dean with annoyance after Crowley handed him the ‘recipe’. “Yes it does, so you’d better start working on it now Dumbass, I held my end of the bargain, time to hold yours” and with that, Crowley just vanished ~ _such a drama queen_ ~ thought Dean, rolling his eyes. The brothers headed down to dungeon, ready to get started on the spell but when they opened the door, all they could see were empty handcuffs.  
“Where is he?” Said Dean  
“I didn't even think about tit but he is an archangel, and a powerful one at that, I don’t think the handcuffs were enough…”  
“Yeah but the holy oil?!”  
“I don’t know, he must've found a way around it, Dean what are we gonna do?”  
“I have no freaking idea…”

  
They spent the next couple of days hitting the books and looking for any clues of the archangel’s whereabouts. Sam was getting worried, but not for Cas, well, of course he was worried for Cas, he was like a brother to them but right now, it's Dean he was looking at, and what he was seeing wasn’t pleasing. The younger hunter knew his brother, better than anyone in fact, so he knew perfectly well what was going through his head, as it did so many times before : Guilt, remorse, self-loathing, hatred, anger, despair… And love. He knew Dean fell head over heals for the angel long ago, even though he wouldn't admit it. ~ _Damn Dean and his freaking ‘I don’t deserve happiness’ crap!_ ~ thought Sam _~And damn that fucking sexual tension all the time, jeez, just get on with it so I don’t have to witness the eye fucking~_  
Dean lifted his head from the computer “Sammy, you're staring… Again, what's up with you?!”  
“Nothing… Sorry” muttered Sam, shaking his head slightly, frowning  
“Yeah right, anyway, I’m onto something, dead guy in Nelson, Nebraska. It’s like an hour from here. Dude exploded, I say we check it out”  
“Yeah, it’ll be good to get out of the bunker, worst case scenario, it’s normal hunt”  
“Best case scenario, it’s Cas” said Dean getting up, seemingly hopeful and excited and headed toward his bedroom “I’ll go pack my stuff. Be ready in 20’ tops”  
Sam sighed _~Crap, he’s getting his hopes up, that’s not gonna end well~_

  
Dean closed his bedroom door and started packing his duffle bag _~get a grip Dean, it could be nothing so calm down, you don’t want to get worked up about it if it turns out it’s not Cas~_ . After he’d packed everything he needed, he sat on the bed and fished his phone out of his pocket to check the time, a few minutes later he found himself going through his texts

Cas – Hello Dean  
Dean – Hey Cas, what's up?  
Cas – I was wondering what exactly was a “selfie” and what it is used for?  
Dean – Damn it Cas, how in hell did you hear about selfies ?  
Cas – Claire told me I should get a “Snapchat” to send her “selfies”, I take it by the tone of your text that selfies are not an appropriate thing to do?  
Dean – Yeah, it's a total teenage girl trend, basically you take pictures of yourself and send it to people with a caption saying what you’re doing or showing something and stuff, just don’t, I don’t think you're quite ready for snapchat buddy  
Cas – Oh, is it like that time we went for burgers and you took a picture of us eating?

Dean stopped reading, he totally forgot about that, he went to his pictures and there it was, Cas and him, each taking a bite of their burgers. Dean smiled at first but than his face fell _~Cas, I don’t know if you can hear me but… I miss you man, what the hell happened, how did that dick get into you? It's my fault, I’m sorry, I should’ve been looking out for you better, I should've seen that it wasn’t you way sooner… How did it slip passed me? I should've payed more attention, I’m so sorry Cas. I... I- never mind… You probably can't hear me anyway ~_  
Dean took a deep breath, crap, his eyes were watery. He recovered quickly, grabbed his bag and went to the garage. Sam was waiting for him, leaning against the door  
“What took you so long ?” Said Sam while getting into the car  
“Nothing, just had to check something”  
Dean started the car, turned on the radio and they were gone


	3. Troubles, again.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sam and Dean get to Nelson, NA and investigate. It doesn't go as planned

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Helloooooow guys !!!  
> I have a new chapter, not very long again, sorry, bear with me please, I feel like the story is kinda going somewhere. Anyway, as always, don't hesitate to leave a comment to help me improve my writing skills (if i have any haha), let me know what you think and i hope you enjoy!  
> Kudos to you <3

     A 67 Chevy Impala rolled into the nice, quiet little town of Nelson, NA and headed toward the place everybody was so curious about lately, the explosion site. Two man in suits stepped out of the carefully parked car and stepped over the ‘do not cross’ tape as if it didn’t apply to them. Somehow they sent vibes that made people think that  _ nothing _ applied to them.

 

“Hi, I’m Agent Young, this is my partner Agent Gowan, FBI” Said Dean, showing his badge to the local police officer. Sam did the same

“Hello Agents, welcome to Nelson. I knew they’d send suits eventually, a death that weird ? It’s just out of my league.” Said the officer in charge, looking away, kind of embarrassed

“Thank you officer ?” Asked Sam

“Panozzo” 

“Ok, do you mind showing me the crime scene while Agent Gowan goes around to ask a few questions ?” Said Dean

“Yeah, sure, follow me” The fake agent followed the officer to the crime scene, asking a few questions on the way

“ - So what do you know about the victim?

\- His name’s Jordan Duncan, single, he owned a shop in town. He was a good man, everybody knew him around here.

\- I see… so no known enemies I’m guessing…

\- Not that I know of, like I said, real nice guy, it’s a shame

\- Yeah, there’s been an autopsy already right?

\- Well if you can call it that, we found pieces of him in every corner of the room, not one piece bigger than a finger. But we took samples for the lab to make sure it was him and check for anything weird.

\- And?

\- Nothing, just flesh and bones”

Dean took a look at the crime scene, the once white walls were now covered in blood, raw flesh and bone reduced to dust just about everywhere

“- Ok… So the guy did explode, that was not an understatement 

\- Yeah, I don’t think you’ll be able to get anything more than us from this

\- Probably not, before I go and take a look around, do you mind giving me the adress of his shop? And is there a motel for us to stay around here?

\- Yeah, there’s a dinner that has a few rooms in town, and his shop is just across the street from it

\- Great, thank you Officer, here’s my card, let me know if anything comes up

\- Sure thing, I’m going back to the station, don’t hesitate to call the department if you need anything

\- Thank you” And with that, Dean checked around the room  _ -No other officer, great-  _ He pulled out his EMF detector and went around the room, nothing. He went back to the Impala and called Sam.

 

_ #### _

_ S- Hey _

_ D- Dude, they were not kidding about the explosion, you can’t even see the walls _

_ S- Wow, ok, well did you find anything? _

_ D- Squat, no EMF, no weird smell, well except decaying blood of course but yeah, nothing that seems demonic or ghost-ish y- _

_ S- Ghostly, Dean, the word’s Ghostly _

_ D- Whatever bitch, you found anything? _

_ S- Learn english Jerk. Nope, not really _

_ D- Ok well, how about we meet at the motel in town to drop our stuff and then we check out his shop _

_ S- K, see you in a few _

####

 

     Sam was already waiting in front of the dinner/motel when Dean arrived, he parked his baby and took their bags out of the trunk, he threw Sam his, earning a master bitchface which made him smile and they entered.

“-Hello gentleman. What can I do for you? We don’t serve dinner until 6pm but we do have plenty of coffee for the wait

\- Oh it’s fine ma'am, we heard you had rooms in the back? Said Sam

\- Of course, a king coming right up

\- Uh two queen, we’re not … We’re here for a murder investigation.” Said Dean in a hurry

“- Oh sorry! My mistake, two queens it is… Ok here we go, those are the keys, have a nice stay” Said the old woman smiling politely

 

     They entered the room, dropped their bags on their beds and Dean sat down on his

“-Man, that happens waaay too many times, why do they think we’re gay?!

\- I don’t know Dean… Maybe you send vibes

\- Maybe I sen vibes?! I’m not the one with the lady hair”

- _ And I’m not the one spending my days eye fucking an angel _ \- thought Sam, but he let the argument go, not worth it.

A few minutes later they left to go see the shop.

* * *

 

“An antique shop? Seriously? So how much are we betting on cursed object?” Said Dean entering ‘Duncan’s antiquities’ 

“- It does seem likely, I’ll go to the back see if there’s an inventory you look around the main room?

\- Yeah ok”

Dean looked around, nothing seemed off, it just looked like old stuff. He spotted a bowl of candy behind the counter  _ -Now that’s the best thing I’ve seem all day!- _ he tought. He sat down on the chair next to the register and looked around the selling list and the papers, eating candy the whole time. His hand dropped into the bowl to find there were no candy left, to his defense, there weren’t many in the first place, but that’s when he noticed the actual bowl. It was made out of some kind of smooth, jet black rock with some weird, pagan looking design at the bottom  _ -Crap…- _

Sam came into the room to see his brother surrounded by candy wrappers, holding a black dish

“Please tell me this isn’t an Obsidian bowl…” Said Sam, knowing full well the answer to that and sighed : “Dean, you’re an idiot.”

* * *

 

     They got back to the motel and Sam explained what he’d found out as he opened his laptop to find a solution.

“- On the inventory something stood out ‘ “Dharmapāla’s Vessel” - Description: Obsidian bowl - Price: Not on sale yet ’. I remembered that name from a class I took in Stanford. Anyway, basically, the legend is that this bowl was standing alone in a temple, it was full of food but taking if was against the law so Dharmapāla, god of law, cursed it saying that everybody who stole food from the vessel was to be punished the next day.

\- Ok, so did your class happen to mention how to break the freaking curse?

\- … No

\- Ok then”

Dean sat across his brother, his own laptop out and got started on research  _ -I cannot die before I save Cas, Not happening-  _

They had only 24h to find a way, well, more like 23h now...


	4. 4 Hours

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sam and Dean find a cure, but will it be enough?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys !!!  
> So, again, short chapter but I couldn't make it any longer (because reasons ;-P ). I hope you enjoy, don't forget to leave comments if you have any, it means so much to me !!  
> Kudos to you !  
> <3

4 hours

 

Sam looked up from the book he was studying, eyes on his brother for a minute  _ -4h, this is getting tight, I have to find a way, no matter what- _

Dean was staring at the screen, another fake website  _ -I cannot die today,I will not die today, not that I matter, everybody knows I ain’t worth shit but Sam’ll do something as stupid as trying to bring me back if I do- _

 

3 hours

 

Dean was feeling guilty, as usual  _ -How could I make such a dumb move… All of that for a freaking candy I could’ve bought at the gaz station. If Dad could see me now… Sorry to disappoint you again, it’s all I can do apparently. Messing up must be my nature- _

Sam was getting really worried now  _ -Most curses can take up to 2h, without counting the time it takes to gather up the ingredients, this is not looking good at all, it could be too late already… No! Stop! You don’t think about that, you stay hopeful until the last minute- _

 

2 hours

 

“I’ve got something ! It says the object is unbreakable, we have to lock it up but there is a way to save the cursed person! The list of ingredients is insanely long but it’s simple enough, we can find everything here I think” Said Sam scribbling on a piece of paper and handing it to Dean “You can find those at the gaz station out of town, and I think I know where to find these”  he said branding another piece of paper full of weird names. 

“Ok Sammy, we meet here in an hour tops ok?”

“Yup, let’s go”

 

1 hour

 

Dean had found everything on the list, he got back to the motel room, hoping to find his brother but he wasn’t there  _ -Ok, maybe he needs a little more time, I’m ok, I still have an hour, and I’ll have many more, or at least enough to save Cas- _

The hunter decided to get a beer while he waited to calm his nerves down

 

45 minutes

 

-Seriously Sam ? Now’s the time to be fucking late? Where the hell are you ?-

He fished his phone out of his pocket and dialed his brother’s number

“Come on Sam pick up…”

“Hey this is Sam, leave a message -- Bip”

“Crap!!” Yelled Dean hanging up

 

30 minutes

 

“Hey this is Sam, leave a message -- Bip”

“Answer your fucking phone dammit!”

Dean was pacing the room now, he had gone through 2 beers already.  _ -Time for something stronger- _ he thought as he poured himself a glass of whiskey.

 

15 minutes

 

Dean was sat on the bed, head in his hands  _ -That’s it, goodbye I guess right?- _

 

5 minutes

 

Sam barged in like a giant making Dean jump and reach for his gun by reflex

“Where the fuck were you Sammy?”

“I’m sorry Dean, but I have everything, we still have time, come on, sit tight I’ll take care of the spell”

Dean couldn’t ‘sit tight’ his mind was racing

 

3 minutes

 

Sam was still mixing ingredients, it had to be done in the exact right order so he couldn’t rush but he was experienced enough to go way faster than anybody else could have. On a good day, a spell that would take an hour for common people took him only 20 minutes.  _ -I’ve got this- _

 

60 seconds

 

Dean closed his eyes, his mind now calm

_ -This is not how it was supposed to go, i was supposed to save Cas- _

“You make sure to save Cas for me, ok Sammy?”

“You’ll do it yourself jerk”

 

30 seconds

 

“Bye Sammy”

“Shut up Dean, you’re not gonna die!”

 

10 seconds

 

_ -Cas…- _

 

9 seconds

 

_ -I know you can’t hear but…- _

 

6 seconds

 

- _ Sam‘ll save you, I swear- _

 

3 seconds

 

_ -Cas- _

 

1 second

 

_ -I’m so sorry…- _

 

0 --

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Cliffhanger ! Sorry :-S


	5. Dead or Alive

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A lot of guilt from Dean. Sam being a sweetheart and wanting to help his brother

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heeeeeey  
> I know it's been forever, between exams and the holidays I haven't had time to write. I had a lot f personal stuff going on I'm sorry.  
> As always, comments are greatly appreciated!! (Like seriously pretty pretty please leave a comment)  
> Kudos to you  
> <3

_ -I don’t feel anything… I know for a fact I should be feeling something, I mean it’s not like if it was the first time I died right?- _

Dean opened his eyes tentatively and looked around the room quickly 

_ -Ok… So that’s the motel room- _

He touched his chest, his arms 

_ -Not dead, I’m not dead- _

He let out the breath he’d been holding and looked at his brother. Sam was panting, he looked at Dean with relief for a second and smirked 

“Told you” he said.

“What are you ? 4?” 

“The greatest brother in the world is what I am! I saved your sorry ass jerk” Retorted Sam with a big toothy smile

“Bitch” said Dean before hugging his brother.

 

* * *

 

The brothers opened the bunker door

“Home sweet home” Exclaimed Dean

“Yep, gonna go put this in one of the men of letter’s cursed objects box” Answered Sam holding the obsidian bowl 

“Can’t destroy it but we can lock it up” he added, walking toward one of the storage rooms

“I’m starving, burgers good with you?” Yelled Dean to make sure his brother heard him.

“Perfect, call me when it’s ready, I’m gonna unpack” Said Sam

The older hunter nodded to himself and headed to his room, threw his duffel on his bed and went back to the kitchen  _ -I can unpack later, food first- _ As he entered the kitchen he hummed slightly, he liked having a home to come back to  _ -With an actual, functional kitchen to cook actual food and not crappy dinner food. Don’t get me wrong, some dinners are great, but not all of them, sometimes you don’t know what you’re eating… And… Ok… Fine… I might’ve been a little traumatized with the leviathan’s crap a few years ago…- _ And that’s how his good mood fell. Thinking about Leviathans brought him back to Cas  _ -Cas, I’m so sorry, after that I swore I would never lose you again and I failed, countless times… I just keep failing you. And this hunt was a bust, we have no idea where to start looking for you… Useless...- _ Dean had just finished making the burgers, he set them on the table and called for Sam.

When the younger winchester arrived in the war room he was smiling  _ -OMG burgers, I’m starving, It’s not that great for me but I’ll just run longer tomorrow, I DID almost lose my brother today…- _ But then, his eyes fell onto his brother who was coming back to the table with 2 beers  _ -Oh crap, that’s the frown, that’s the ‘I’m so useless, everything is my fault’ frown, dammit Dean- _ Sam thought as he sat down across from his brother and got started on his food.

Dean took a swig of his beer, his eyes on the meal he prepared but really he was just staring into nothingness. He shook his head, took another look at his food and pushed his plate going back to his beer instead. Sam cleared his throat “You ok Dean?” he asked tentatively

“Yeah” _ -No, I’m not but I’m not gonna talk about it, please don’t start the sharing is caring crap… And not the puppy do- - _ Too late, the taller man looked at him with a puppy face to put baby pugs to shame 

“Are you sure? Do you want to talk about it?”

“No chick flick moments Sammy” Implored Dean

“Dean! Talking about your feelings isn’t shameful! I mean everybody has them you know, it’s part of that thing called being a human being!”

“Okay fine, I have feelings like everybody, that’s not the point, my feelings are not the important thing right now, what’s important is finding and saving Cas ok? So use your freaking Stanford brain for that instead of annoying me with my fucking feelings” Roared Dean as he stood up and stormed off to his bedroom. 

_ -That went well- _ thought Sam finishing his meal and turning in for the night too.

 

************************************

 

_ “Dean!!” Screamed Cas, twitching in pain _

_ “Cas!!” Yelled Dean as he struggled against the chains holding him. “You bastard, let him go!” he growled to the angel’s aggressor. _

_ The mysterious man laughed “Oh,you want me to stop? How cute…” He turned around to face Dean and the hunter gasped “How.. What?” he mumbled.  _

_ The attacker was nobody else than himself, or at least he looked like him -How’s that possible- _

_ “I bet you weren’t expecting that now were you Dean? Or should I say me? I don’t know, what’s the etiquette here?” Said the other Dean calmly, jokingly even. _

_ “What are you?” Fumed Dean, pulling on his chains and cursing under his breath _

_ “Man you’re slow sometimes! Don’t you get it? I’m you! Nobody wanted to hurt Castiel before you came around. You ruined him, he kept sacrificing himself for you and you keep disappointing him. You’re the one hurting him, it’s all you fault, everything that happened to him is your fault, we both know it. You want ME to stop hurting him? How about you stop and then we’ll talk.” With that, he turned back around and dragged a blade across Cas’ torso. Dean closed his eyes looking away, on single tear escaping his eyes. _

 

************************************

 

Dean woke up panting looking frantically around, feeling strong arms on him

“Dean! Dean it’s fine, it was a dream, hey! Hey!” Dean’s eyes stopped on his brother, sitting at the edge of his bed, trying to calm him down.

“What? What happened? What are you doing here?” Asked Dean confused, getting his breath back under control.

“I heard you scream so I came to your room, thinking something was wrong” Sam paused “When I came in you were just tossing, screaming and...” He stopped, looking at his hands, knowing his brother wasn’t gonna like the end of his sentence.

“And what Sam?” Hissed Dean already angry about the whole situation

“You kept saying ‘Cas’ and ‘Please don’t hurt him’...” Finished Sam, looking at his brother in the eyes. Dean looked away, closed his eyes for a second, flashes of his dreams coming back, his own hands slashing Cas’s flesh. 

“Um, yeah, it’s ok, it was just a nightmare I guess, just, go back to sleep, sorry for waking you” apologized Dean “Just go back to bed, I’m fine Sammy”

“Dean, the last time you actually screamed from nightmares you were coming back from hell… You’re not fine. Don’t lie to me, I can see you’re not ok. I’m your brother, after all we’ve been through, you can tell me anything, you know that right?” Sam was looking at his older brother, his eyes soft but worried.

Dean sighed “Sam… I’m your big brother, I’m supposed to take care of you, not the other way around”

“Dean, I’m not a child anymore, you raised me, you took care of me for years, you’ve always been there for me. For once, I’m fine, I’m not ‘the chosen one’, I’m not addicted to demon blood, I don’t have an angel in my meat suit, I’m fine, I’m just Sam. For once, let me be there for you Dean.”

“You’re right, I’m not fine, but there’s nothing to say about it, we need to save Cas. Once we save Cas I’ll be fine. I have to save him Sam, it’s my fault, I have to make it right. I have to fix my mistakes. Whatever it takes.”

“How is it your fault? You need to stop taking the guilt that isn’t yours to take. This is not your fault. This is Lucifer’s fault.”

“Okay Sam, okay” Dean concluded, nodding at his brother like he used to when they were kids and Sam wouldtell him an unbelievable story he'd dreamed about.

Sam knew his brother still didn’t believe him but maybe he will if he tells him often enough. He got up and walked out of the room, stopping at the door for a second “We will find him Dean…” he closed the door and added to himself “Dead or Alive”


	6. Communication Breakdown

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dean prays... A lot. Cas/Lucifer comes back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys!!  
> So, here is the next chapter! The title is the Led Zeppelin song from the album Led Zeppelin, if you've never listened to it I suggest you do cause it's a great song! Anyway, as always, let me know what you think!  
> Sorry for the everpresent sadness and bad feelings during this fic, I promise it's getting better and fluffier very soon !   
> Kudos to you guys  
> <3

The next few days pass with no news of Cas and way too much whiskey if you ask Sam. Dean was a mess, close to when he came back from purgatory: a self-loathing and guilt filled trainwreck. He prayed to Cas every night, even though he knew he couldn't hear.

 

_____Day 1_____

 

_ -Hey Cas, so, that hunt was a bust… I’m so sorry. You’re the last thought I had before I almost died… I know how chick flicky it sounds but it’s true… You’re family so it’s normal right ? Anyway, I’m gonna get you back, I promise. You’re my best friend, I have to- _

 

_____Day 2_____

 

_ -It’s me again Cas… I’m worried man, we haven’t heard anything about Lucifer, I don’t know what he’s planning but he’s way too quiet. Last time there were enough death on his way for us to track him but this time ? Nothing, that can’t be good. Well, not that we like dead people but at least we knew what he was doing, we had a chance of getting to him. Now? We don’t know where he is and we have no way to track him. I wish you could at least hear me, I will find you Cas, even if it’s the last thing I do- _

 

_____Day 3_____  

 

_ -Still nothing Cas, I’m sorry… I’m so sorry I don’t even know what to say. I’m so sorry- _

 

_____Day 4_____

 

_ -Cas, I know you’re not there buddy but I can pretend right? It makes me feel better to talk to you, not that I deserve to feel any better but… I’m weak so yeah, I’m gonna talk anyway. There are so many things I’ve never said to you, so many thing I wanted to tell you but I didn’t. I was too scared, or too involved in my stupid ‘no chick flick’ thing to take the time to talk to you. I’ve lost you so many times already, you’d have thought I’d be used to it by now, and that i’d be less of a dumbass when I got you back. Do you remember Purgatory? When you came back, I should’ve told you how much you mean to me… I need you Cas, I’m gonna find you, save you and then I’ll tell you. I’ll tell you that I need you- _

 

_____Day 5_____

 

_ -That’s it, who am I kidding, everybody knows we’re more then best friends… We have that profound bond or whatever… When I get you back, I’m cleaning one of the bedrooms, you ain’t leaving us ever again… You ain’t leaving me… Well unless you want to of course. Yeah, I’m an idiot, why would you stay with me, I’ve caused you nothing more than sorrow and troubles and stuff. Your whole family hates you because of me, you got hurt countless times. I sure as hell don’t deserve you, you’re a freaking angel, like an actual angel of the freaking Lord and i’m… I’m just me, Dean Winchester, good little soldier, I tortured and killed people, why would you want anything to do with me ? You don’t feel the same way, I know that but I can’t help what I feel. I love you Cas- _

 

Suddenly, he heard the familiar ruffle of feathers and jumped from his bed. Castiel, angel of the lord was standing before him and he fell to the floor, his legs incapable of holding his weight and his face scrunched up in pain. 

“Cas?” said Dean, rushing to the angel “Sammy!!!” he called before helping Cas up  _ -Wait, that could be Lucifer…- _ he thought for a second but then he saw Cas’ eyes and he just knew.

“Dean, I don’t have long, I took control back but... it’s not gonna last. You need… Need to restrain me while I’m in control” Urged Cas, his breathing labored and painful. Sam arrived into the bedroom, gun in hand, ready to shoot whatever was attacking but stopped dead in his tracks, not understanding why his brother was helping Lucifer. 

“Sam, it’s Cas, for real, we need to restrain him before Lucifer gains control back” explained Dean. The brothers’ hunter instincts kicked in and they started moving, quick and efficient.

 

They’d just finished restraining Castiel when Lucifer regained control over the vessel, looking pleased with himself but once he realised he couldn’t escape his smirk turned to a thin line and his face was utter rage.

“NO! When I get out of this trap, and I will, your deaths will be long and painful you immature apes!”

“Oh you’re getting out of here, but it’s just to go straight to hell” Assured the older hunter as they left the dungeon.

 

_____Day 6_____

 

First thing in the morning, the brothers called Crowley to get started on the spell. Everything went smoothly even though Sam was this close to killing the King of hell if he didn’t stop talking. The spell was simple enough but the ingredients had to cook for several days and then rest for a few more which all things considered, wasn’t that bad.

__________

 

10 days later, the devil was back in the box but Cas was left a crumbled mess on the floor of the dungeon. Dean rushed to his side of course, scared to death that his … No, the, the angel might be dead but he wasn’t. 

He was alive, that much was certain but he was in such a state that he’d probably be out for a few days at least. His grace had to recharge and then he had to heal himself and recharge again. 

Sam had spent some time a little while ago cleaning a few bedrooms in the bunker in case they had visitors or hunters in trouble nearby, that needed a place to stay, heal eventual wounds from their cases. So Dean picked Cas up and got him settled in the bedroom right next to his. He stripped the angel down to his boxers and shirt before he tucked him into bed, with some help from Sam. 

The younger hunter then left the room, knowing that his brother wouldn’t be leaving the angel’s side anytime soon. Dean sat down at the edge of the bed and looked at his friend’s face, he looked much more peaceful than he had when he came stumbling into his room 10 days before but he still had a painful expression across his face.

“I’m gonna take care of you Cas, you’re gonna be okay” whispered the green eyed man, gently pushing a few stray hair from the angel’s face - _ I promise- _

The hunter stayed there for hours, just looking at Cas until he just couldn’t keep his eyes open and went to his room at some unholy hour.

Sam heard him walk across the hall and thought  _ -This is gonna be a hard week-  _

He had no idea how right he was.

  
  
  



End file.
